Session 3: IT’S ALIIIVE! Mannequin Mangling and Playing Frankenstein - Costume Mounting on a Shoestring

YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Join me for a wild ride down the rabbit hole of mounting costume pieces with a limited number of less-than-perfect mannequins, random parts and pieces, a variety of archival materials and TON of ingenuity, creative engineering and trial and error. With lots of photos, I will share my own grassroots, low-budget, make-do process of preparing for an exhibit at the Milwaukee County Historical Society. PLUS, I will share valuable, how-to instructions and resources from experts in the field. Got a good costume mounting story of your own? Bring it along!

Anne Lehmer-Mattek - volunteer, Milwaukee County Historical Society

Anne is a lifelong sewist, costume enthusiast and aspiring textile conservator with a BA in Anthropology and a MA in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University. A loyal fan of Beloit’s C3 program, Anne was fortunate to intern with Camille Myers-Breeze of Museum Textile Services after enjoying the Textile Conservation courses taught by Camille at C3 . Anne has worked with collections at the San Francisco State University Global Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, The National Nordic Museum (Seattle) and the Milwaukee County Historical Society (Milwaukee, WI). The daughter of a fiber artist and a photographer, Anne grew up in a world of artists, museums and galleries. She has worked in leather and latex garment construction, custom corsetry, and historic costuming and has stitched bridal, rock and roll, theatre, dance, and Halloween creations for numerous private clients. Most recently, Anne has dabbled in upholstery, with a focus on vintage and antique chairs.